More than 800 American energy and Earth science researchers have signed a letter to Donald Trump outlining six steps they’re urging him to take to address human-caused climate change to protect “America’s economy, national security, and public health and safety.” The letter is accompanied by a public change.org petition to “Tell Trump To #ActOnClimate.” Here […]

James Delingpole is an invective-hurling anti-climate science columnist who has candidly admitted that he doesn’t bother to read scientific papers, calling himself a “an interpreter of interpretations.”

Kratom (previously) is a widely used herb that has been very effective in treating opioid withdrawal and other chronic, hard-to-treat conditions — it also became very controversial this year because the DEA decided, without evidence, to class it as a dangerous drug, and then changed its mind (unprecedented!) after a mass-scale petition that included interventions […]

The Boing Boing Store’s Gift Guide is full of ideas for pretty much anyone in your life like hipster ice cub trays, Xbox controllers, Halo Boards, and even diamond necklaces. As always, all products in the Boing Boing Store come at great discounts, too. Shop by price bucket starting at under $20. Under $20:Bloxx Jumbo Ice Trays […]

Unlike traditional lighters, the SaberLight features an electronic plasma beam that’s both rechargeable and butane-free. This sleek lighter is even approved by TSA, so you’ll never be stuck buying lighters you’ll just have to throw away partially used. For some people, like me, this is a pretty big game-changer. The SaberLight’s beam is actually both hotter and cleaner […]

Holiday shopping is in full swing, and the Striiv Touch is one of the best gift ideas I’ve landed on. Its simple design works for females and males, and its wide range of features makes it suitable for even the non-fitness enthusiasts in your life.Unlike traditional fitness trackers, the Striiv Touch also acts as a smartwatch. It […]

It is unlikely that many would be leaking given that wells are only abandoned once reservoir pressure becomes insufficient to produce a well. And even after this, more oil is usually extracted using artificial drivers like gas re-injection, or gas lift. So at the point of abandonment it would take a pretty big change in reservoir conditions to cause a leak. In theory though I guess it is possible that some sort of geological change could cause this, and perhaps the seals could also lose integrity as they age, so it would probably be a good idea to have some sort of maintenance / checking program where abandoned wells are randomly inspected for leaks.

Close, but not always the case. Operators abandon wells when they are no longer profitable. So, when a formation stops producing valuable oil or gas, the operator has the well plugged and leaves. Unfortunately, the field may still have plenty of pressure and plenty of non-valuable fluids remaining and thus a potential for leakage.

The anonymous poster above is also partially correct. An ‘abandoned’ well is supposed to be properly plugged by filling it with concrete (its more complicated than that). However, these things are tough to regulate when pluggers are trying to eek out every penny when the inspection team isn’t looking.

This statistic is meaningless! An abandoned well is one that has been permanently plugged with cement and fully sealed. Abandoned wells are not wells that the owner has “walked away from”. In some states, those are called orphan wells. On the Outer Continental Shelf, where the Minerals Management Service regulates, there is strict supervision of the plugging process. In shallower water, the states regulate the condition of wells. Again, the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama have very strict supervision of the abandonment process.

In no way are those wells in danger of leaking. Pennsylvania is full of plugged and abandoned wells dating from the 1880s and there isn’t a huge outcry over environmental problems from old abandoned wells. They simply aren’t a problem.